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Friday, August 17, 2012

High Five Interview #19: Kindergarten Teacher Publishes Picture Book

Welcome to HIGH FIVE, the feature that spotlights debut picture book authors with a five-question interview. Today we have joining us, author/teacher Andy Allen. He self-published his first book, Stormin' Norman: The Soggy Doggy, and it was released in November 2011. As a Kindergarten teacher, Andy Allen knows just what kids like. Soggy doggies happen to be one of those things. Please join me in congratulating Andy on his recent success by giving him a big HIGH FIVE!

Stormin' Norman: The Soggy Doggy
by Andy Allen

So, here’s a big HIGH FIVE
congratulations to you for your debut picture book.

Title: Stormin’ Norman: The Soggy Doggy

Author: Andy Allen

Illustrator:Brian Barber

Publisher:Beaver’s Pond Press

Release Date:November 2011

Summary: A story of friendship and the bond between a boy and his dog. The rhyme
and illustrations in the book will entertain a wide audience, from young
readers to teachers and parents. During the Iowa flood of 2008, many homes were
destroyed and lives were changed forever. Stormin’
Norman: The Soggy Doggy provides a positive light on a difficult
time for many people.

Question ONE: What are threeof your favorite picture books? Just three mind you. Being a kindergarten teacher, I know this is going
to be a tough one for you.

This is a difficult question. I read lots and lots of
stories to my students. I try to have fun with the stories by using different
voices and expressions to keep the students interested and entertained. I do
have a few stories that I will read often throughout the year.

The first is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.
This book provides a wonderful example of friendship and self-sacrifice. It
teaches us what love for a friend is all about and helps students understand
better how we should treat our friends. The book can also lead to a discussion
about the partnership that humans have with trees and we need to treat the
trees kindly because they give us so much, from food to furniture to paper. It
is also a good example of the life cycle of a person. I don’t think you can
find a better story than The Giving Tree.

Another
story I really enjoy reading is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric
Carle. This is another classic pick. The pictures in the book are so vivid and
the kids enjoy watching the caterpillar getting bigger throughout the story. It
helps young learners with their colors and numbers as well as a discussion
about the life cycle and how we are like caterpillars. The caterpillar grows
into a butterfly. We want our young learners to grow to be responsible young
adults. This is a book that can bring a lot of discussion and learning into the
classroom.

The
last book is a book I just read but it has become one of my favorites. It is
called I’m Not Tired Yet by Marianne Richmond. This is a story about a
little boy who will not go to bed so his mom has to coax him into falling
asleep by giving gorilla hugs and lobster pinches and such. The rhyming in this
book is spot on and she really captures the silly spirit of the little boy. He
kind of reminds me of myself when I was little. This is a well written,
enjoyable book that is perfect for the classroom or home.

Gorilla hugs and lobster
pinches? How fun!

Question TWO:Despite not having any children of your
own, how do you feel that you were drawn to write for them?

My wife and I do
not have kids, but we have two dogs and two cats, we feel we have enough
excitement in our life at the moment. Even though I do not have kids, I have
been in the field of early childhood education for about 10 years. I feel I
have a good understanding of the cognitive process of a child and I can relate
to kids well. My wife would tell you it is because I have the maturity of a 5-yr-old.
When I am working on a story, I try to look at it through the eyes of a 5-yr-old
and ask myself, why would I like this book? I feel that with the technology we
have and the age of video games, books are becoming a smaller part in the life
of a child so when writing and creating a story, it is important to make sure
the child can identify and relate with the characters and themes within the
story. I want to create stories that I would want to read to my students in my
classroom.

I have heard that women mature
faster than men. I bet your Kindergarteners adore you!

Question THREE:How might teachers use your book in the classroom? Did you write your book with teachers
in mind? Do you have any lesson plans?

Over the month of June, I presented my
book to 4 reading conferences in the state of Iowa. I talked with teachers
about my book and how to use the book in the classroom. I have a curriculum
written that covers, geography, science, and reading and writing skills. The
curriculum also includes a game to help with fine and gross motor development
as well as a list of a few other great dog books. Teachers can also use the
book to discuss topics such as friendship, courage, pet responsibility and
water safety. I wrote the book with
teachers in mind, as a teacher if there is a book out there that I can apply to
academic standards I will be more likely to use that book in the classroom. The
students can enjoy a story and we can learn a few things as well, everybody
wins!

Sounds awesome! A whole unit you
wrote around your book? If I were teaching Kindergarten, I’d definitely be on
board with your book. I can’t believe it covers all that. Amazing!

Question FOUR: What was your
road to publication like? Can you talk a bit about revisions, submitting to
publishers, and your experience with illustrators?

When
I finished the story, I thought I had gold and I was going to be the next Dr.
Suess, so I did some research and sent my story out to publishing houses that
took material without having an agent and I got rejected. Then I got rejected.
And finally, I got rejected.

There
was one small publishing house that expressed some interest but they said it
would be at least a year and a half to get the book out and I didn’t have any
say with the illustrations. I was not a fan of that so I started looking at the
self-publishing route. This story is very dear to me and I wanted to have input
on the overall creation of the book. Self-publishing allowed me to keep some
creative control and create a book that is of very high quality. I am very
pleased with the book and my self-publishing experience. However, for my other
stories, I would like to go through a traditional publisher.

The
illustrator and I were able to meet and discuss the overall look of the story.
I gave him a few pictures of Norm and told him I don’t want to stifle his
creativity but it would be cool if he could make Norm look like Norm and he did
a great job. We worked very well together. When he finished a page, he sent it
to me and we talked about it. I generally had very few notes because he did
such an amazing job. His pictures really tie the story together; he did a great
job with the facial expressions of Norm and Andy throughout the story. And if I
remember correctly, it was Brian that came up with the title. We were
brainstorming for a title and he came up with that one. It was perfect.

I agree. Stormin’ Norman: The Soggy Doggy IS a great title! I’m so glad you
had such a positive experience.

Question FIVE:What are your top three writing tips you
can offer to writers (and teachers) seeking publication?

First, let’s
remember that I am not a professional writer; I am a teacher who has begun to
write books with the best interest of the child in mind. My next book talks
about kids experiencing bullying on the playground, when Norm goes to the dog
park and meets a bully.

So my first tip would be to write with the child in mind. Ask
yourself, if I were five years old, would I like this book or can I relate to
the book?

My second tip is to keep a notebook by your bed. I will get a great idea for a line in
a story during the night and if I don’t write it down right then, I will forget
it in the morning. So it is a good idea to keep something by your bed because
you never know when your muse will bite.

And finally, this might sound cliché, but have fun. Children want to be entertained
with literature, so have fun with the whole writing process. From your first
draft to final version, the whole process should be enjoyable. There might be
some stress, but as long as you enjoy writing, keep doing it. Don’t do it to
become famous or wealthy. Do it because you feel like you have something to say
and you enjoy telling stories. We need more great stories to entertain kids and
compete with the video games. Books and reading help the cognitive development
in young learners so it is so important that we keep the reading interesting
for kids. I have met authors that do not encourage people to write stories
because they do not want the competition. I feel just the opposite; we can
never have too many good stories for kids.

Thank you so much, Andy, for being with us
today. Congratulations again on your debut picture book! Hope your Kindergarten
class starts out great and goes strong all year long. Good luck on your second
book!

I help writers create compelling stories and build submission-ready manuscripts so they can run with their writing. Connect with hundreds of other writers on my FREE Facebook group, Writers Who Run. bit.ly/writerswhorun

Great success story. I'm also a teacher-turned-writer, so I appreciate how the classroom impacts how you look at literature. It's always, "Hmmm. How can I 'use' this in a curriculum unit?" The publisher of my book (Keep Your Ear on the Ball, Tilbury, 2007), has a Teachers Take Note section with tips on applying the book in the classroom.

Read-4-Luck Ratings

Four clovers: Awesome! Never tiresome for children, parents, teachers, or writers. May just have to buy it.

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